LJP legislator denies joining Bihar’s ruling JD-U

Patna, Aug 13 (IANS) A legislator of Ramvilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Saturday denied the speaker’s claims that the party had merged with the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) in the state assembly.

Naushad Alam, who represents Thakurganj assembly seat, said he was still with the LJP and there was no truth in the reports that the three-member LJP legislature party had merged with JD-U.

“I strongly deny reports in media quoting speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary that we have merged with JD-U legislature party,” Alam said at a press meet, convened by the LJP here to refute the speaker’s claims.

A day after the speaker said he had allowed two LJP legislators — Alam and Pramod Singh — to merge with JD-U legislature party and also recognized the two legislators as JD-U members, Alam described the claims as wrong and baseless.

“I will continue to be in LJP legislature party in the assembly,” he asserted.

State LJP president Pasupati Kumar Paras said that the latest development has exposed the real face of the speaker.

“It has vindicated our stand that the speaker was working to serve interest of chief minister Nitish Kumar, who is bent to managing that the JD-U reaches a majority in the assembly of 243 members on its own, instead of depending on his ally BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party),” he said.

Paras, who is younger brother of Paswan, said that the speaker should immediately re-consider his decision because it was unconstitutional. He also hinted at approaching the courts soon in this connection.

According to reports, it was nearly ten days ago that Alam and Singh appeared before the speaker to convey their decision to merge the LJP legislature group with the JD-U. Soon after that, the speaker went on a foreign visit and took a decision when he returned Friday.

Alam said that he had later informed the speaker that he was against merger with JD-U.

The JD-U, led by Nitish Kumar, won 115 seats in last year’s assembly polls and its ally, the BJP won 91 seats, its highest-ever in Bihar.

Earlier this month, the sole Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislator also joined the JD-U.

The JD-U also enjoys the support of nearly half a dozen independent legislators, who back Nitish Kumar’s development plank.